The researcher's hub: more than food

RESEARCHER’S HUB: MORE THAN FOOD

It all began in 2015 while looking for information about the nourishing properties of bananas. And there it was; an incredibly young chemist scientist from Brazil, Milena Boniolo, at a TED conference in Sao Paulo exposing her and Mitiko Yamaura’s research on the banana peel fiber’s capacity to absorb heavy metals from polluted water bodies. This research involves a process where the peel is transformed into fiber and then diluted in water. As a result, it gains the ability to absorb uranium. In the words of Boniolo: “It’s about a simple absorption process, low-cost and easy to implement.”

A separate study from 2021 indicates that a staggering 114.08 million metric tons of banana waste are generated annually worldwide, resulting in environmental issues like the overproduction of greenhouse gases. However, this waste could be used for productive purposes rather than letting it decay. Two potential alternatives could be biomass energy production and the creation of paper products.

To complete this cycle, a third study from The Lancet Commission reveals that pollution is accountable for 9 million premature deaths annually worldwide.

A review of this information shows that there is significant data to endorse an approach that explores the potential value of banana peel as a valuable resource rather than simply disposing of them as waste.